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The One Leader Who Can Save The X-Men is Human, Not Mutant

Warning: spoilers for Sabretooth #2 are ahead. 

Professor X is an iconic leader of the X-Men in Marvel Comics, but his decisions on Krakoa could spell disaster for mutantkind in the near future. The island nation of Krakoa is intended to be a safe haven for mutants outside the oppression of human society, and while its "for mutants, by mutants" approach has been immensely healing for some, the island is far from perfect. With the establishment of sacred laws on Krakoa that are meant to guide mutants in this exciting new stage of existence for them, the X-Men have run into a problem of what to do when mutants break these foundational laws. As shown in Sabretooth #2 from Victor LaValle, Leonard Kirk, Rain Beredo, VC's Cory Petit, and Tom Muller, Charles's ignorance as a leader comes at a steep moral price that makes Daredevil, a human, Krakoa's only chance at righting its wrongs.

In Sabretooth #2, Professor X and Magneto debate the fates of a group of mutants, Nekra, Oya, Melter, Third Eye, and Madison Jeffries, who have all broken Krakoa's laws. While Erik admits that he wouldn't mind seeing them killed, Charles states that the group "simply needs time to reflect on how important it is that [mutants] think and act as one," and advocates for them to placed in the Pit. As the only prison on Krakoa, the Pit has previously become Sabretooth's domain as he plots his revenge on the rest of Krakoa.

Related: The Horrifying Truth of Superman's Phantom Zone Has Been Revealed

While Professor X thinks he is being enlightened in his choice to imprison the mutants, he is actually just bringing an antiquated approach to prisons in human society into Krakoa. Charles's idea that the law-breaking mutants will have "time to reflect" on their actions recalls the purpose and creation of penitentiaries, which comes from the Latin root for "repentance." Penitentiaries were designed to be places where inmates could do exactly what Charles asks the mutants to do here: think on their sins. But this idea is contrary to what Krakoa's mission, which is to liberate mutants from the worst aspects of human society. As Daredevil's comics demonstrate, prisons are far from places where people can reflect safely on their slights.

As well-meaning as Professor X is, it is clear that he could use some insight about the criminal justice system, which Daredevil has more than enough experience with. Having been a lawyer, district attorney, vigilante, and prison inmate, Matt Murdock has experienced various sides of the American justice system, leading him to realize that it is fundamentally broken beyond repair. While Daredevil isn't a mutant, his life behind bars would give Xavier critical insight into the fact that prisons aren't a one-size fits all solution to wrongdoing.

While Krakoa has given mutants the chance to be free from the violence and persecution they experienced in human society, its challenges have resulted in its leaders erecting the very same institutions they swore to abandon in their new home. Daredevil has tirelessly proven that the traditional view of prisons as places of repentance is vastly incongruent with its reality, and it is clear that only he carries insight that could stop Professor X from continuing to destroy what made the X-Men's Krakoa such a utopia.

Next: Superman's Twisted Prison is Finally Called Out By Marvel



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